5th Grade STEM

Crime Scene Investigation

Week 4: April 27 - May 1, 2020

Learning Goal

To encourage understanding of the Four C’s of Engineering:

• Collaboration
• Creativity
• Critical thinking
• Communication

​

​

• I can think like a forensic scientist gathering and analyzing evidence at home to solve a crime.

​

​

​

​

​

​

Reminders

If you want to, document your experience as you go and upload your work through photos or video to Class Dojo, Seesaw, Google Classroom, or whatever format you are using for your teachers to see!

Most importantly,

HAVE FUN!!!

​

Important Information

Click the link below for a printable lesson plan, pages handouts, writing extensions etc.

Crime Scene Investigation

​

​

​

​

​

Materials

• Optional materials provided online at the link below or you can create your own - both options are provided below.

*Discovery Pages and Discovery Handouts:

• Rozzy Clues - You can print out the attachment or make your own set of footprints and crumpled note (with paint on it).
• Suspect Profiles - You can print or simply read aloud from the page.
• Crime Scene - You can print out the form or use notebook paper to draw a picture of the crime scene and write down clues.
• Forensic Scientist Answer Key - do not print or view until you determine the culprit by following the clues. Otherwise, you have no mystery!

Materials

• You will need to gather

the following items:

• Hair tie
• Car key
• Baseball or tennis ball
• You can add any other items to add to the designated area to help it look like a crime scene (yellow crime scene tape, orange cones, duct tape, other items as distractor clues to mislead the investigation).

​

Important Parent Set Up

Estimated Time: 10-15 minutes

1. Create a design either inside or outside and mark it off with duct tape (or another item). This will serve as the “crime scene.”
2. Now it’s time to place the clues in the designated area. Scatter the following items around the crime scene: hair tie, car key, baseball (or tennis ball) and other distractor clues.
3. Put the following Rozzy Clues under Discovery Handouts on the ground in the crime scene: footprint of shoes, crumpled note.
4. Print out Forensic Scientist Answer Key under Discovery Handouts with notes on what each clue means and the answer to who stole the ice cream and pizza.

​

​

​

​

​

​

Ideas for Crime Scene

Outdoor

Indoor

Who took their treats?

Adventure Description:

A group of ten year olds are about to have an ice cream and pizza party for having awesome behavior all week! Their pizza and ice cream were delivered in the morning and are being stored in the refrigerator and freezer until lunch. It is now time for lunch and the pizza and ice cream are missing from the refrigerator and freezer.

​

Who took their treats?

Adventure Description:

A group of ten year olds are about to have an ice cream and pizza party for having awesome behavior all week! Their pizza and ice cream were delivered in the morning and are being stored in the refrigerator and freezer until lunch. It is now time for lunch and the pizza and ice cream are missing from the refrigerator and freezer.

​

Background

Forensic scientists are scientists who collect evidence from crime scenes and analyze it to help police solve crimes. Forensic scientists use chemicals and other tools to find evidence and write reports to record their findings.

​

Looking for Clues at the Crime Scene

Estimated Time: 20 minutes

Go to the designated crime scene where the clues are.

​

• Do NOT touch any of the clues because that may contaminate or accidently destroy the evidence. Forensic scientists look for evidence and clues.
• Look for clues and fill out the Crime Scene under Discovery Pages with notes and pictures about possible evidence.

Analyze Clues & Suspect Profiles

Estimated Time: 15-20 minutes

• Read through and review the Suspect Profiles.

​

• Write down notes about the clues you have found and how they relate to the profiles. Remember that some clues can be misleading or not mean anything at all!

​

Suspect 1 Suspect 2

Suspect 3 Suspect 4

Suspect Profiles

Suspect 1

Suspect 2

Suspect 3

Suspect 4

Analyze Clues & Suspect Profiles

• Consider who you think stole the pizza and ice cream and write down a few reasons why. Once you think you have the answer, ask a family member to check the Forensic Scientist Answer Key under Discovery Handouts to see if you are correct.

​

• If they agree that you have figured out the mystery, use the key to explain what each clue meant and how you figured out the culprit.

​

​

Forensic Scientist Answer Key

Who stole the pizza & ice cream?

It was Miss Jen because:

• She drives to work, so she has a car key.
• She needs to go shopping after work and the crumpled note was a grocery list that had paint on it (she is an art teacher).
• She has long hair and needs a hair tie.

Explanation

It was NOT Mr. John because:

• He took the bus, so he doesn’t have a car key.

It was NOT Sarah because:

• Kids do not drive.

It was NOT Benjamin because:

• Kids do not drive.
• He is allergic to milk and cheese, so he doesn’t want pizza and ice cream.

​

*Distractor clues that did not mean anything:

• Footprint
• Baseball/Tennis Ball
• Any other items added to the crime scene to mislead the investigation

Extension

• Complete Writing Extensions with a new mystery.
• Write your own alternate mystery, set up your own crime scene and provide clues. Have your family members try to solve it.

​

Extension

• Watch this Forensics video to learn more about Forensic Scientists and solve another mystery.

• Read more about Forensic Scientists at this link:

What is Forensic Science?

​

​